And They Were Roommates
by Iamsecretlynot
Summary: A modern friends/roommates AU no one dies. Just Bucky, Sam, and Steve sharing an apartment... amongst their bounty hunting duties and romances. Natasha crashes their apartment because she can.
1. The one with the girl

"Rogers, open up!" Bucky banged on the apartment door, attracting the attention of a woman peering out into the hall. She wore baggy clothes and looked old enough to be his mother's grandma. He thought he detected the smell of cookies baking from her apartment. She scruntised him.

Bucky knew he looked awful. He hadn't slept since he landed the Austin job and gained dark circles because of it. His hair met his shoulders, a sign that a haircut was long overdue. He winced when her eyes landed on the metal hand glinting from his sweatshirt sleeve. She scowled.

In short, he looked criminal.

He waved at her. Her apartment door in response, slammed shut. Bucky heard an ominous click as she locked her door. Nice neighbor.

Steve could probably coax a smile to her face. All the old ladies who met him instantly fell in love. They'd pinch his cheeks and coo over his hair. He'd flash a smile, bruised all over from fights he started, and they'd call him an angel. All because he called them 'ma'am and walked them across the street.

He couldn't remember a time when Steve Roger and him hadn't been best friends. Steve, the golden boy who dreamed of fist fights and honor. Bucky, the dark knight who liked kissing girls and inventions. They were inseparable. Fought together, played together, mourned their parents together, rose in ranks at Shield together. All as a team. James and Steven, Barnes and Rogers, Cap and Bucky.

So when Steve asked Bucky to join him and a fellow bounty hunter in an apartment deal set up by one of their employers, he couldn't say no. He finished up his job in Austin and flew back today. Made some good money too. It'd taken over a month of caffeine and little sleep for him to track down the arms dealer. He was looking forward to sleep and bro time.

Bucky checked his phone. No response. Just his unanswered texts in the group chats.

Sent To Steve:

Im here

Let me in

steve

Sent To Birdman:

I know you're in there open the door

Sent to Birdsolidersicle

Ayyyyyy guys look im here

Don't all greet me at once

"идиот." He grumbled, bending down to feel underneath the cheery welcome mat. Steve used to keep a spare key there at their old place.

Something hard hit his head and swept his body back. He landed on his back with a thud. A woman's voice. "Он мой бог!"

A hand grasped his and pulled him up. She sounded apologetic. "I'm so sorry! If I'd known you were there-"

"Yeah," Bucky cut her off. "Instead you…" He opened his eyes and lost his train of thought. What was the Black Widow doing in Steve's apartment?

He hadn't seen her since he worked full time at Strike, Shield's rival in the bounty hunting world. He wouldn't have recognized her without her catsuit, if it weren't for that familiar Russian perfume.

She had to be a friend of Sam's. Steve didn't hang out with a lot of women. Especially redheads in baseball hats with red lipstick and steel eyes that shine like silver and smell like mint and lavender sachets…..

She raised her eyebrows at him and Bucky knew he'd been caught staring. He focused his attention on the apartment complex's scuffed floors and waited for her to recognize him.

Steve appeared in the doorway. "Hey Nat, what do you want on your pizza?" He spotted Bucky and grinned. "Ayyy Buck! I didn't know you were back yet."

"Check your phone манекен." His annoyance melted away at the sight of his best friend. "I texted you."

Steve winced. "Sorry, phone died." His eyes rested on the girl and Bucky realised he hadn't let go. He released her hand and dug his metal one into his jean pocket. Steve grinned. "You need a haircut."

Bucky ran his other hand through his dark hair self-consciously. "What, it's that bad?"

"Nah. Sam might have a fit though." He motioned them inside.

Bucky followed, feeling the her eyes on him. Steve had called her 'Nat'. Probably a nickname, Steve liked giving people those. She didn't seem to mind. It hit him that he never knew the Black Widow's real name. Just her bounty count-2,000- and former organization, Strike. "Why, is he still trying to get with the delivery girl?"

"Why else would we have pizza?" Steve cupped his mouth and whispered. "Don't tell him, I ordered pizza from two different places tonight." He said it with such glee that it felt like he was twelve again.

Bucky smiled. He can see Sam now. Overly polite Sam, trying to shoo the other away so he could talk to the girl without making it obvious. "Just like old times."

The woman brushed past him. Bucky watched her hop up onto a bar stool and give it a spin. "My lips are sealed. Thank you Steve, but I won't be able to stay tonight."

She could be a Natalia. He can hear the Russian accent sneaking past every few syllables. Or a Natalie or even a….

"I have a coffee here for a lovely lady named Natasha!" Sam called from somewhere in the apartment.

Natasha. Many successful Russian models and actresses carried the name. Mothers would name their girls Natasha in hopes to bring Luck to their daughters side. As it a name could grant a child beauty and fame. A stupid superstition. But standing here, seeing a Natasha with his own eyes, he wasn't so sure. Especially if the Black Widow carried her name.

It was starting to bother him that she didn't recognize him. It wasn't like they were enemies at Strike. Plus, who else did she know that had a metal arm? Bucky was starting to get the feeling that she was acting indifferent on purpose. Just an act, like the Black Widow.

He tore his eyes off her as she disappeared through a side door and focused on Steve. "Which room is mine?"

The blond scratched the back of his neck as he looked around the apartment. It was an open concept that looked a lot like Rachel and Monica's apartment from friends. The living room was bare except for a big tv that Sam contributed and the dining table Steve's dad built before he died. A weapons rack stood by the door for missions and a pair of black boots leaned against it. A small bar counter was all that separated the kitchen from the living room and a bunch of doors branched off from it.

"There's three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Yours is the one on the left. They're all kinda small though." Steve sounded like he was apologizing. Just like him. Steve would give the shirt off his back and more to a stranger and still apologize for not doing enough.

Bucky shook his head and gripped his shoulder. "I'd take anything after the month I've had. It's not like I have a lot of things anyway."

Sam and Natasha entered the room. She had her phone out and was sipping on a plastic cup containing what looked like sweet tea. "Right, as if your 'collection' isn't a lot." Sam drawled.

On his drive over Bucky had thought long and hard about what to say to Sam. He'd thrown out straight up cussing him out or flipping him off. Which would be stupid as the African American former Army man towered at least 4 inches above him and had a wicked punch. No, his first words to his 'rival' had to be smooth and earth shattering. He straightened.

"I brought the couch."

Sam's face lit up. "DUDE." He turned to Natasha. "This man owns the best couch in the world. It cost him what, 5,000 bucks? He has these cashmere blankets that force you to curl up into a ball because they're so small, but you don't care because it's so soft."

"Wow. You really love his couch." Nat looked at him as she spoke. Bucky swallowed and diverted his eyes.

"It doesn't even classify as a couch! It's huge and made out of tufted leather that your butt sinks into. It's like a daybed that some marketing agency was like, y'know, this is a couch."

"If you love my couch so much, help me bring it in." Bucky said.

Sam made a face. "And get all sweaty before she arrives?

"Dude, you don't even know her name."

Sam snapped his fingers. "Lelia Taylor."

"But then you could impress her with yourself shirtless." Nat pointed out. "Some girls are into that."

"Disgusting. My legs? Gold. Bucky can agree with me on this one, he's got them thighs of betrayal."

Nat choked on her drink. Steve started laughing. "What does that even mean?" He gasped.

Nat gathered up her things and stood. "And on that note, I have to go to work. Catch you later, fossil." She shot her parting remark at Steve.

"That was one time!" Steve protested.

Bucky watched her go. "She's going to around a lot, isn't she."

She hesitated at the door and Bucky realised belatedly that he'd spoken too soon. Her eyes were on him again. Like she was picking the lock to his heart.

Nat winked. "If you don't mind, Partner."

* * *

**Translations:**

**Идиот:** English Idiot or in Russian Moron

**Он мой бог:** Oh my god

**Манекен :** Dummy

Lavande sachets is a Russian perfume that I assume smells like Lavender.

Lelia Taylor and the Falcon got engaged in the comics, I think? Sam's monologue about the couch is stolen from an interview Mackie does. They ask if he and Sebastian are friends and he goes on for like a minute about how much he loves his couch.

*if you haven't picked up on it, I'm basing these guys heavily off of the actor's personalities. Just for the Sam/Bucky dynamic. As preparation for the tv show.

I'm pretending that Natasha's death didn't happen shush. I'm using the friends style chapter titles cuz why not and let me know what adventures you want to see these roommates/friends to go on!

Have a lovely day! :)


	2. The one with the cake

The second time Bucky sees her, it's late and he's finishing Sam's cake. The one he specifically warned him not to touch and littered yellow sticky notes with block letters demanding him to not eat it.

Steve waited until Sam went to sleep before he cut himself a slice and went to call his girlfriend. That left the cake to Bucky. He managed to avoid it for the duration of one minute before he dug into it. (Sam was an idiot for leaving a pudding cake unattended. Bucky was a sucker for whipped cream.) This gave him time to reflect on his new friend? Could he call her that?

Steve said that she was a freelance agent who bounced between Shield and Strike. A fellow bounty hunter, who danced in the ballet on her free time. Fury had assigned them to work a few cases while Bucky was in Austin and they hit it off. Her solo missions had the highest success rate at Shield. His team was ranked just below her at Shield at 88 percent recovery rate. Her recovery rate was a solid 90 percent.

She still called herself the 'Black Widow'.

It wasn't the weirdest code name he'd ever heard. Bounty Hunters names alternated between inside jokes and the noobs trying to sound badass. Steve's was 'Captain America' and Sam called himself the 'Falcon'. Bucky had made the mistake of letting Strike pick his name. Thus, the Winter Soldier. It wasn't too bad, at least it wasn't 'Big Green Guy.' Or Hawkeye. War Machine was a good one. Natasha probably hadn't wanted to rebuild the reputation that comes with a new name. Her old reputation wasn't bad under Strike.

While Shield focused on repossessing property that belonged to their clients, Strike specialized in hunting down drug lords and criminals. Bucky was Strikes lead bounty hunter, which said something. Strike was far more cutthroat when compared to Shield. You were allowed to bring back your bounties dead or alive. Emphasis on dead. It was a lot easier to just kill them than drag them back to the nearest Strike base.

90 percent of her bounties came back, alive. She was currently ranked just below him and gaining. If he hadn't taken the Austin job and dragged the crime ring down, the Black Widow would have taken his number one spot.

Steve said that Shield paired their team up to work the next few missions. She'd already worked a successful case with them. Saved Sam's neck in the process too. The Black Widow took down the man they were repossessing from, stopping him from ambushing Sam. Apparently, she did something cool with her legs? Ran up him and kicked him down? He'd missed most of it because Steve's mouth was full of cake. Either way, Steve was impressed and she was working the next case with them.

Steve said he was surprised that Bucky hadn't run into her already. Which wasn't….the entire truth. He'd run into the Black Widow, not Natasha. Bucky hadn't wanted to tell him the entire story of the Winter Soldier and Black Widow. Especially if she hadn't recognized him.

Which Bucky didn't mind at all. Natasha seemed pretty chill. She fit into their group dynamic. Plus, she was dueling it out with them for top bounty hunter status at Shield and he'd like to see how his competition fought. It totally wasn't because he was worried that if she recognized him it might cause problems for the group. Or for his emotions.

A key turned in the lock, startling him.

The door opened halfway, trapping a woman between the night air and the apartment. She's dressed for dancing. A back sleeveless cocktail dress and red heels that match her red curls. Bucky starts to speak. Then he sees the man lurking behind her.

"So this is where I'll leave you," She whispers.

The shadows obscured most of his face. The man's voice was menacing. "C'mon baby doll, don't be like that."

Steve would have taken care of him. Punched his daylights out, threatened him. Steve used to start fights in the Brooklyn streets for less. Bucky stopped keeping track of how many he'd rescued Steve from before he got bigger and his temper cooled. He almost gets up then and it hits him. It's not Natasha he seeing, but the Black Widow.

The Black Widow slipped further into the light. "Aww, sweetheart. I left my number with the bartender. You can call me… if you can find it."

The man said something intelligible. She blew him a kiss. "Go and get _it."_

Something else. Then the distinct sound of sandals slapping against concrete.

Natasha darted inside and slammed the door, turning the deadbolt behind her. She leaned against it for a moment. In the light, she looked nothing like the seductress. Just a very tired woman.

He must have coughed or made some movement. Her hand dropped to her thigh and her eyes snapped open. Bucky raised his hands. "Just me," She must have a gun there. He waited for a beat and tries out Steve's nickname. "Nat."

She relaxes and looks him over. Bucky realizes with a start that his metal arm was exposed to the light. If she hadn't recognized the Winter Soldier before, she would now. He braces himself for a flood of questions and accusations.

"Sorry for barging in, Bucky. Didn't want him to know where I live." Nat came up to the countertop and rested her head.

Bucky looked her over. Band-aids on the backs of her ankles where her heels were. Her wrists were red and black ink smudged in the shape of a spider on her shoulder. A black widow. He'd recognize that hourglass anywhere.

He should ask her about it. Ask, "How often do you do this for Steve to give you a key?", or "was that man one of your bounties or a creep?" Sam would. Sam would bring out a first aid kit and give Nat a pep talk that'd brighten her up. Maybe even convince her to make some life changes. Sam's good like that.

Instead, he slid the cake over and cut a new slice. Nat lifted her head and Bucky shrugged off his jacket onto her shoulders.

"Благодарность." Her voice came out hoarse. She didn't sway or wobble like a drunk, but her hair smelled like second-hand smoke. Bucky got up and found a water bottle for each of them. He passed her it. "Добро пожаловать."

Her head came up. "I didn't know you knew Russian."

"Picked up a few words for an old job. Not a lot." Liar. He was fluent. One of the many requirements for Strike. And a potential hint for her. He ran his hands through his hair, smoothing it back over his head.

"I didn't expect to see the Black Widow so soon." Bucky folded his arms.

She grimaced and took a bite. "I mean, we are working together now. You're going to have to get used to it."

"Yeah, but-"

She didn't skip a beat. "Act like it never happened."

Oh-kay. Was not expecting that. He fired back. "What never happened? Tonight or-"

"Everything." She clarified. She hunched over and shoveled cake into her mouth.

Nat was avoiding his eye. Which did not line up with anything he knew about her or the Black Widow. And the everything line? His suspicion that she was ignoring him on purpose was looking real good right now. Bucky opened his mouth and she beat him to it.

"How did Sam handle the delivery girl?" Her head was still down.

He let it drop. It was probably for the best. "She arrived not long after you left. Sam opened the door before she even knocked."

"What does she look like?"

He squinted. "I think she's taller than him? She's got an Afro… and she wears these hoop earrings that are bigger than her ears. Sam's a sucker for chocolate eyes."

"I love her already." Nat propped her chin up on her elbows. "How did he do?" She prodded him.

"Sam didn't hold anything back. He took his sweet time with the receipt, flirting with her the entire time. He just got to actually signing it by the time the second guy showed up. Who _also_ started hitting on the girl."

Nat covered her mouth. "Oh _no_."

"Oh _yes._ Sam completely dropped her receipt and snatched the pizzas away from him. The guy's face was hysterical. Sam practically shoved him from the door and then asked for her phone number."

"Did she give it to him?"

Bucky nodded. "Surprisingly, yes. He was so happy that he forgot to yell at Steve for ordering pizza from two places." He and Steve waited until Sam left the room and then laughed until their stomachs hurt.

"Okay, so what's with you and Sam? Like, if you don't like each other, why live together?"

Bucky ran a hand through his hair. "It's ... complicated."

"You make it sound like a relationship status." She smirked at him.

"He's kind of more Steve's friend? And I'm Steve's best friend?

She set down her fork. "You're telling me that your whole rivalry is built on who's the better friend to Steve?"

"I mean, you're eating his cake." Bucky pointed out. "He's not a bad guy. I wouldn't eat a cake made by my enemy."

"And it is amazing. You have no idea how much I needed this is my life." Nat held out her plate and he cut her another slice. Then she caught sight of the paper pinned to the fridge. "Do not touch my cake-we're eating his cake?!"

"I'll just tell him a friend really needed it?" He cut himself another slice and moved back to his seat beside her.

She tsked at him. "My my, you are a bad _boy._"

His stomach warmed. Her smirk brought up old memories. None of which he needed right now. "Are you staying here tonight?"

"No. I only meant to stay for a few minutes."

"Let me call you an uber. Or walk you home." He didn't want her walking home in the dark. It's close to midnight and that man might come back.

She shook her head at him gently. "I called my best friend. He should be here any minute."

Bucky relaxed. "Good."

The way she smiles at him makes Sam's tantrum about 'which one of you useless human beings ate my cake' at two in the morning worth it.

* * *

**Translations: **

**Благодарность:** Thanks

**Добро пожаловать: **You're Welcome

Yes, Strike is referencing Red room and the guys who made Bucky into the Winter Soldier. Haven't decided if they're gonna be the bad guys. Perhaps just rival agencies? Hawkeye is the best friend and yes, Hawkeye is in this fic.

Yall are smart, you figure out what happened.

Have a lovely day! :)


	3. The one with the spider

The one with the Spider

Bucky grabbed a bag of groceries and slammed the car trunk shut. Sam, arms full, locked it. "Nat texted. Said she was stopping by later to drop off your jacket."

"Mmm."

They started up the stairs. The wind blew his hair into his mouth and Bucky tried in vain to spit it out. Sam, never the type to beat around the bush, continued. "I could give you her number."

"..."

"Then why give her your jacket?" Bucky forgot how much he disliked this side of Sam. He got very pushy when it came to things he wanted answers to. He was very good at guessing games too, which made him a dangerous opponent. Bucky plastered on a fake smile.

"Jealous?" He leaned against the door as Sam dug for his keys.

Sam snorted. "Heck no Boy. I've got a girl."

Bucky whistled. "You got with Agent Hill?"

Sam scowled. "Shut up." The lock clicked and he pushed the door open. They'd made it halfway in before they spotted the boy on the couch. He waved at them.

"Hi, guys. I'm Spiderman."

An uncomfortable beat. The kid looked like a walking Stark Universities merch store. His 'iron' laptop was decorated with science and spider stickers. His baggy shirt and sweatpants, more Stark merch, made him look like he just rolled out of bed.

"You got an actual name, kid?" Sam asked.

"Uhhhhh, Peter. Peter Parker."

Sam nodded like that explained everything. "Right, right." He raised his voice. "Steve, what is a teenager doing on my couch?"

"_My_ _couch_." Bucky corrected.

"Relax…" Steve called from the bedroom. "Kid just wants to interview me."

The two looked at each other. What stupid thing had Steve done when he was gone? Clearly, Sam was unaware of it. "He wants to do what?"

"Ever heard of an informative interview? The kid wants to be a bounty hunter."

That explains a lot more. Bucky studied the kid. Dark hair and a baby face. His leg bounced with a nervous energy that translated into his animated facial expressions. He was like an overeager puppy. Or an active grenade.

Sam still didn't get it. "How did he find us?" He sounded a bit belligerent. Bucky wondered if a joke about Sam's love life could be worked into the moment.

Steve exited, shield in hand. "Stark sent him." That shut up Sam up.

Steve and Stark had an understanding. Steve helped Stark protect some of his business deals and in turn, Stark gave them this apartment. Bucky and Sam got in on it because they were Steve's associates. Part of that understanding meant that Stark required his associates to be treated like family. Which meant that they couldn't really refuse the kid anything.

Hopefully, Peter did not know about this. It might make him cocky.

The boy's eyes widened when he spotted the shield. "Whoa! Is that Vibranium?"

The Shield was part of the reason why Steve called himself 'Captain America'. It was a round red and blue circle that contained a white star in its center. It was kinda flashy for stealth missions, but the boost of speed it gave him made it worth it. It could ricochet off of objects and bounce back with added force. This was because of the Vibranium, which was a Metal known for its ability to store, absorb, and release kinetic energy.

Stark's father made it for Steve when they were kids. When Tony was 'Ironman' and before he became the new Mr. Stark. Bucky missed those days. Steve smiled more.

Steve nodded. "It was a gift."

Peter grabbed his phone and started snapping pictures of it. "Do you all have special weapons?"

"Sam has a drone."

"Her name is Red-Wing and she shoots missiles." Sam recovered himself and took the groceries to the kitchen. Bucky heaved his bags up and followed.

Peter's eyes lit up. "That's awesome! Can I see it?"

"No."

"But I-"

"No."

The kid gave up and looked at Bucky.

"Spiderman."

Now he got it. The kid wanted his call name to be _Spiderman_. Bucky snickered. "Spider-Man?"

"Spiders are scary," Peter said, defensive."No one laughs at the Black Widow."

"Black Widows eat their mates just because they can. Plus, she's one of the top bounty hunters." Bucky slipped a pack of gum into his pocket. Sam would steal it if he knew.

"Two spider call names? Is that even legal?" Sam tossed a bag of bagels into the bread drawer. He handed him a box of strawberry pop tarts. In case Thor visited. "I'll think he'll have to fight her for it."

"Guys…" Steve warned.

Sam opened the fridge and shoved their beverages inside. "Do you want a juice box kid?"

"Actually, a protein shake would be lovely, thanks."

If looks could kill, Parker would have been burnt to a crisp by now. "And where would I find that?"

"My assistant usually makes it! All organic, fresh ingredients. All you need is a blender." The kid grinned.

Steve hastily steered the conversation away as he sat down beside the kid. "What else do you want to talk about?"

Peter opened up a google doc on his laptop. "First I'd like to-is it okay to record you? Just voices? Okay, thanks- ask you about the basics of bounty hunting." He tapped a red button on his phone for what Bucky assumed was Voice Memos.

Steve balanced his shield on his knees. "Bounty Hunting requires a lot of research and patience to find your target. What you see on tv is just the grunt work, which needs a lot of stealth and quick thinking to pull off."

He held up two fingers. "There are two types of Bounty Hunting. Repossessing unpaid property like planes, boats, and fancy cars; or hunting down criminals who skipped town on bail. My team specializes in the former. We're given a target to retrieve and a few days to do it. If we succeed, we get half of what it's worth. If not, the job goes to someone else."

Peter balanced his laptop on his legs. "And the other one?"

"Petty criminals get released on bail and fail to show up to their court dates. A bounty hunter is sent to bring them back to the courthouse. They get rewarded with the bail money, which can get pretty high. These types of Bounty Hunters have more power than the police to make arrests because they don't have to read their Miranda Rights before handcuffing them."

"Barnes has done both." Sam volunteered. He'd finished with the groceries and now carried a cup of coffee. "He just got back from hunting down a group in Texas." He raised his eyebrows at him and took a sip. "I'm sure he'd love to tell you about it."

If this was about the cake….

"Just like on tv!?"

And of course, it was. Sam looked triumphant, sipping his coffee. Bucky squirmed under the attention.

"No," He said quietly. "A normal bounty hunter isn't allowed to rough up their targets or they don't get the money. Strike rewards their hunters whether the target is brought back dead or alive."

Peter's eyes got big. "You've killed people?! Is that how you got the metal arm?"

An awkward silence descended on the group.

"Was that on the list? Ohhhh, I wasn't supposed to ask that. Mr. Stark told me not to ask you about the arm or kill count or to imply that you'd kill people 'cause you'd hurt me, and he said it so fast…." Peter's voice trailed off. "Those that mean I have to die?" He blurted.

"Yes." Sam deadpanned.

Peter's eyes darted from Bucky to Steve and back again. "Haha. He's joking. Right?"

Bucky pointed. "There's a spider on your shoulder.

Peter screamed and scrambled over the couch. Sam jumped and spilled his coffee on his white shirt. Peter hit the ground with a thud. Steve covered his face and sighed. There was no spider.

"Is it gone?" A small voice asked from the floor.

Bucky changed his assessment of the boy from grenade to 'dummy' grenade.

* * *

Yes, I'm attempting to reference the Grenade scene in the first Captain America.

And I was trying to get the same animosity of the Mackie/Stan interviews when they roast Tom Holland.

Have a lovely day! ;)


	4. The one with the phone

**To милый мальчик: **

Sam tried to give me your number. He didn't believe me when I said I already had it.

**To студент:**

Well

Hi to you too

**To милый мальчик: **

What did you tell him about the cake?

**To студент: **

What I told you

Sam: Which one of one bleep bleep ate my bleep bleep

Me: our friend ate it

Sam: Your stomach is no friend

**To милый мальчик: **

Hahahaha. We'll buy him a cake to make up for it

**To студент:**

We

?

**To милый мальчик: **

Be nice

**To студент:**

Only for you

**To милый мальчик: **

Liar

Do you want a dog

**To студент:**

why

**To милый мальчик: **

I want a dog

**To студент:**

why

**To милый мальчик: **

Dogs are fun

**To студент: **

Get one

"Buck? Netflix isn't working." Steve yelled.

Bucky watched the typing bubbles dance on his screen. "Get Sam." He called back.

"He's on a date with Miss Taylor."

"I thought she dumped him."

"Apparently not, could you please come _here."_

Bucky dragged himself out of his bed, phone in hand, into the living room. "I swear Rogers, you gotta learn how to do this yourself."

He blinked, shielding his eyes from the sudden change in light. Steve did not believe in dark movie rooms, he turned on every light possible to compete with the screen. He and Sam would take turns turning them all off under the pretense of getting snacks on movie nights. "Agent Carter."

Agent Margaret 'Peggy' Carter; Steve's childhood sweetheart. They defeated the park bullies together in what, sixth grade? They started dating Steve's freshman year, which amused her friends until senior year, upon which the string bean got a dramatic glow up.

She was the founder and Co-director of Shield, and technically Bucky's boss. Thus, Agent Carter. Or the director at work. Bucky couldn't remember ever calling her anything else. Maybe Miss Carter when he was ten. Never Peggy.

It wouldn't be long before she added a Rogers behind Carter. Bucky knew. He'd seen the ring.

The agent didn't lift her head. She looked very comfortable snuggled up next to his best friend. A cup of steaming tea rested on her blanketed hands. "Hi, Bucky."

Bucky tossed his phone down next to Steve and took the remote.

"It's doing the blacking out thing again," Steve said.

"I thought I fixed that." Bucky held down the power button. The screen shuddered. "When Sam said he had a TV I should've pretended I was deaf."

Steve shrugged diplomatically. "It's not like we need a TV…." He refused to mediate disagreements between Sam and Bucky. Said it made his life easier that way. That didn't stop them from making passive-aggressive comments in his presence.

"Nooo, where will I watch superheroes?" Agent Carter complained. "My roommates hate it."

The TV home screen blinked back on. Bucky jabbed the arrow keys as Steve questioned her observation skills.

"I really like the blond one."

"There's like six Blonds, Pegs…"

"The one with the pretty eyes."

"Chris Evans?"

"Yeah, the hot one."

Steve shook his head. He had that goofy smile on his face. "Pegs, that's the bad guy. You aren't supposed to like him."

"Whaddya gonna do about that Rogers?" Her mouth was very close to his.

Bucky booted up Netflix and glanced at them. "You guys are watching that show?"

Steve flushed. Agent Carter tucked herself back into her old spot like she wasn't going to kiss him. "It's very educational." She said primly.

_I bet. _ He tossed the remote back on the couch. "It should work now. Pass me my phone?"

Steve reached obligingly for his phone and glanced at down the screen. He frowned.

"Come with me?" Steve read aloud. "You going somewhere?"

Bucky froze. **Дерьмо. **

He lunged for his phone and Steve scrambled away from him over the couches back. "Ooh, is from someone special?"

"It's nothing." Bucky made another pass for his phone.

Steve moved further out of reach. A devilish smirk formed across his lips. Steve "I think I'll let Peggy be the judge of that."

Steve looked at Agent Carter. She demurred sweetly. "He says it's nothing"

Bucky extended his hand for the phone. "Thank you. Hand it over."

"But his ears are rather red." She delivered her blow with a dainty sip of tea, like the classy English woman she was. Bucky felt his entire face flush crimson.

Steve glanced at the phone and frowned. "Is that a Russian name?"

Bucky gritted his teeth. "No. It's Natasha."

"Why not say Natasha then. Or Nat." Agent Carter's eyes narrowed. "Isn't Наташа Natasha in Russian? Or Natalia? Why have anything different? "

Shoot shoot. Now they might think he was working for Strike again. That was the last thing he wanted. He let his hand fall. "You can read the messages if you don't believe me."

Steve shook his head. "No, no. Just… didn't realize you had her number." He tossed Bucky's phone back. Bucky caught it and waited.

Steve returned to his place beside Agent Carter and picked up the remote. "Good night Buck."

Bucky exhaled. "Night."

**Студент changed to Nat**

**To Nat:**

Name the time

* * *

**Translations:**

**милый мальчик: cute boy**

**студент: **Student. The closest thing I found to Protege.

**Дерьмо: **crap


End file.
